The World Thrown Sideways
by MissingMommy
Summary: Charlie's life is turned upside down when Ginny goes missing. :: light!Charlie/Draco, Muggle!AU


For QL round 6. I'm the Harpies' Captain this season. This is loosely based off the movie, Lost Boys. Words: 2989

For LSS round 4 with prompts: (word) half, (phrase) elephant in the room, (dialogue) "I didn't get a chance to thank you."

For OTP bootcamp with prompt - eternity.

* * *

Charlie pulls his jacket closer to him as he walks down the snow covered streets. The jacket is too thin to be properly warm, but it keeps most of the cold away. The street lamps are the only lights he sees; the houses that line the streets are dark.

There are flyers taped up to the street lamps. Charlie has been moving the ones already there to make room for his own. There are too many faces staring back at him. He didn't even realize there were this many teenagers missing. Not until Ginny disappeared three days ago.

He swallows back his guilt as he pulls down the next flyer.

"What the hell are you doing?" someone demands.

The flyers are snatched out of his hands, including the one he just pulled down. Charlie frowns as he tries to grab them back. "Putting up posters."

"By taking down others. Do you think your flyers are more important than -" The guy falters as he looks down at the flyers in his hands. "My apologies. People have been taking down the flyers of the missing."

He takes the flyers out of the other guy's hands. He tapes up the previous poster first and then his own. When that's done, he turns back to the other person. He looks tired and rundown, his blond hair messy and dark bags under his grey eyes. "It's okay. Who are you?"

"Draco," he introduces himself. "I should probably go."

"Wait! Why don't you help me?" Charlie finds himself asking before he can stop himself. "We can finish both of our stack quicker if we work together."

Charlie watches as Draco hesitates. Then finally, Draco nods, grabbing the tape out of Charlie's hand while he dumps his own flyers on top of Charlie's. Charlie flashes him a quick smile.

"Is she your sister?" Draco asks, gesturing towards the flyers the redhead brought to the top of the pile.

"Yeah, she disappeared a few days ago. It's not like her at all," he explains as he holds up the flyer. "Who are you looking for?"

"My friends," the other man answers quietly.

When he doesn't elaborate, Charlie gets the sense that it's not the whole story. However, he doesn't press for more information. He holds up the flyers to the post while Draco tapes them in place. They work in silence until the street is covered. They move onto the next street, and the one following that. They work until all the flyers have been taped up.

Charlie takes the remaining tape out of the blond's hand. "Thank you for your help," he says sincerely. "And I hope you find your friends."

"I hope you find your sister," Draco replies.

Charlie watches him go, thinking that he would like to spend time with the blond, get to know him better, under different circumstances. For now, he still has work to do.

* * *

A phone ringing wakes him up. He grabs for it blindly with one hand while he rubs sleep out of his eyes with the other. It feels like he had just gotten to sleep.

"Hello," he answers groggily.

"I think we're onto something!" a chipper voice squeals.

He pulls the phone away from his ear; half wanting to escape the noise, half wanting to check the time. It's a quarter after two. He's barely been asleep twenty minutes, after finishing his stack of flyers, printing and posting more flyers. He doesn't have the patience for anything other than sleep. "Tonks, I haven't gotten enough sleep for you to be so happy," he groans.

"Well get your butt into gear. We have a lead on your sister," Tonks sing-songs.

All sleepiness disappears in an instant. He feels the familiar rush of adrenaline drum through his body. "I'm putting you on speaker," he says.

He presses the button and throws the phone on his bed. He dresses as quickly as possible as Tonks' voice fills the air.

"It was actually Neville. He's been patrolling the streets for a while. Some older man approached him, offering drugs and alcohol. Neville blew him off. Then he saw the man approach a different kid. He thought it was suspicious. He called me. We followed at a distance."

"Please tell me you found a location," Charlie begs.

"Yup. It looks like it would be the perfect place to keep a bunch of kids. We're heading back to get you and Bill. The place is big; Neville and I can't take it by ourselves," Tonks answers.

"You need me to call Bill?"

"Probably."

He swears. "Okay, I'll call him. You almost here?"

"We're ten minutes out," Tonks replies.

"I'll see you when you get here," he says, hanging up. He dials his brother's number as he continues to get ready.

* * *

His heart is pounding in his chest. He can't stop thinking about how this could lead to his sister. Charlie has been quiet the entire trip, while Neville and Tonks were talking in the front seat. They are both dressed in dark, skin tight material; their faces are obscured by masks and their hair by hoods.

If he wasn't informed about Tonks' night life, he probably wouldn't be able to tell it was her.

As they stand in front of a warehouse on the edge of town, Charlie frowns. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"We saw the van come in here. It didn't leave," Neville says. His voice is distorted from some tech on his suit.

Bill approaches them from the opposite direction in his full police uniform. He gives his brother a pointed look before looking between the other two. He frowns at Neville and Tonks but he doesn't say anything. "Charlie said he might've found Ginny."

All of them nod. "Greenthumb will take the north entrance. I'm heading east. That will leave Bill guarding the south. Charlie, you get to chose who you want to go with," Tonks says, her voice distorted.

"I'll go with you," Charlie decides, moving towards Tonks.

Tonks leads Charlie to the east entrance, keeping herself in front of him at all times. The moon is bright enough that they don't have to use flashlights. Tonks positions herself at the door as she disables her voice modifier.

"You know that I won't stop looking for Ginny if she isn't here, right?" she asks earnestly. Her dark eyes meet his and he can see the sincerity in them.

"I know," he assures her. "And I'm glad that you would."

She flicks her voice modifier back on and swings the door open. They make their way through the warehouse. The warehouse is quiet, too quiet. It makes Charlie's hair stand on ends.

Tonks must feel it too because she holds up her hand to stop him. There's a noise, barely audible, and Tonks heads towards it without a second thought; Charlie isn't too far behind her. They are brought to a halt by a door. The large metal door is hardly a challenge for Tonks.

Clearly, the man inside the room thought it would be. He spins around, the surprise still written on his face. When he sees Tonks standing before him, he runs through the room, throwing the door open, and disappearing.

"Charlie," someone says.

It's only then that he notices there is someone else in the room. The blond hair looks so familiar. Charlie's chest contracts with fear as he recognizes the person. "Draco!" he exclaims, rushing towards the other man.

"Charlie," Tonks says, bringing his attention to her.

He can tell that she's torn between chasing after the man and protecting Charlie. He makes the decision for her. "Go, Chameleon. I'll be fine. I'll backtrack out of here."

She looks like she's going to hesitate, but then she sighs. She throws him a baton. "It's the only thing I've got. If they are shooting, hide behind something," she advises. Then she disappears out the other door, following the man.

Charlie turns his attention to Draco. He looks him over for any sign of injury. He breaths a little easier when there isn't any obvious sign. But he knows something is wrong when Draco looks up at him, his eyes dilated so much that Charlie can barely sees any grey.

"What did they do?" Charlie demands.

Draco shrugs, his body loose. "Some drug, I think. Didn't work the way he expected."

"You seem lucid," Charlie notes. He chooses his next words very carefully. "Someone I know said you came here willingly."

Draco nods. "I've meet him before, but I can't remember where. He told me he knew where Blaise and Theo were."

"The friends you were looking for?"

The blond nods again.

"Have you seen them?"

"Yes. I didn't see your sister though. He blindfolded me after. I can't remember where they are now," Draco replies.

"How long were you blindfolded?" Charlie asks, frowning.

"Not long."

Charlie stands and pulls Draco up. Draco stumbles, causing Charlie to wrap his arm around the blond's waist to steady him. He's barely more than dead weight. They slowly make it back towards the door that he came through with Tonks, Draco becoming more in control of his body with each step.

Charlie barely has to hold onto Draco when they make it outside. He points Draco towards the south entrance that Bill is patrolling and heads back inside, Tonks' baton held at the ready.

He creeps around each corner quietly. It feels like an eternity is passing when he finds Tonks. He pauses in the hallway, holding the baton up, ready to strike when she rounds the corner. She glares at him, snatching the baton out of his raised hands.

"What are you doing?" she hisses. The voice modifier makes it sound louder and rougher than what she was intending.

"He said that he saw some of the kids," Charlie whispers. "He couldn't remember where because he was blindfolded after, but he said he wasn't blindfolded for long. I figured they kept them near. What about your guy?"

"I lost him not too long ago. Greenthumb is searching the other side for signs."

She reaches up and presses the button for her comms. "Repeat, Greenthumb." She must not like whatever is happening at the other end of the comms because she curses and breaks out in a sprint.

Charlie can barely keep up with her as she makes her way through the warehouse. She's saying something, but he can't hear them over the sound of his breaths.

Finally, when they come to a stop, they find themselves face-to-face with Neville. Charlie can't tell what has either of them wound up; there's no light or noises of any kind. The door isn't even locked.

"The man you described entered this room," Neville relays.

"We're going in," Tonks whispers, turning towards Charlie. "You're staying _right here_."

Charlie goes to protest, but Tonks pushes him back while Neville opens the door. The door is shut after Tonks slips through. A few tension seconds later, Neville pops his head out. There's a grim look on his face that Charlie doesn't like.

"Chameleon is after the man again, but you need to get in here."

Charlie moves forward. He immediately knows what Neville didn't like. There are dozens of kids in the room. He recognizes some of them from the posters he moved yesterday.

"Any signs of Ginny?" he asks. He barely recognizes his own voice. He's not even aware of his own surroundings anymore.

"Not with this lot. There's a room upstairs I haven't -"

He doesn't wait to hear the rest of whatever Neville is saying. He dashes up the stairs at the back of the room and bursts into the office space.

His heart skips a beat. He sees his little sister sitting in the middle of the room, staring at nothing in particular. There's a vacant look in her eyes that reminds him of Draco. His stomach sinks.

"Ginny," he whispers. "Ginny, it's your brother - Charlie."

She gives no indication that she heard him.

"Ginny, look at me."

She snaps her head in his direction, staring at him with unseeing brown eyes.

Charlie wants to cry, but he manages to keep the tears at bay. He tries to coax her to stand up, but she is barely more than dead weight. The only thing that causes her to move is order. Charlie swallows thickly as he orders her to move.

He sees Neville hovering at the door. "They only follow orders. Order them to move. We need to get them out of here."

* * *

Charlie is heading to Ginny's room at the hospital, after a good amount of sleep, a shower, and some food, when he sees a familiar face. Charlie feels pleased when he sees the blond. Draco is walking towards the elevator when he spots Charlie already standing there.

"Hey!" he exclaims, coming to stand in front of Charlie. "I didn't get a chance to thank you last night."

Charlie gives him a smile as they wait. "I'm just glad that everyone is alive. Any word on how your friends are recovering?"

"They'll make it. The doctor's say that they should be coming around soon. Your sister?" Draco asks, shoving his hands in his pockets, getting on the elevator. There's still a hospital bracelet around his pale wrist.

"Her doctor says she should make a full recovery," Charlie answers.

"That's good," Draco says.

The elevator ride is short and Charlie is disappointed to see the blond disappear.

* * *

It's hours before Ginny wakes up. Their parents are sleeping in the chairs of the room, leaving Charlie to sit on the floor. He hears the heart rate monitor speed up.

He jumps up and places his hand on his sister's shoulder. He whispers softly, "Gin, you're okay. You're safe."

Her eyes fly open and her body tenses. She looks out in fear. It takes a few moments for her to relax. "Char?"

"I'm here. Remember anything?"

She shakes her head. "Just talking with a classmate and then nothing."

"It's okay, Gin. We'll figure this out. I promise," Charlie assures her. "Ron and the twins are stopping by tomorrow morning. Percy and Bill will be here after they get off work. You gave us all a fright."

"I'm sorry,"she whispers repeatedly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Charlie pulls her into a hug as she sobs against his chest. He runs a soothing hand down her hair and back. "You're safe now. That's all that matters."

He doesn't know how long he holds her for, but eventually she falls back to sleep. He's so caught up with her that he doesn't even notice his mother's sobs or his father comforting words.

* * *

Charlie is eating without really tasting. Ginny has been in and out of sleep most of the day. When she's awake though, her moods are swaying between relief and guilt and almost every other emotion. Charlie is absolutely drained.

He doesn't realize that he's asleep until he feels a hand on his arm. He snaps awake. He's met by a pair of grey eyes. He slumps in relief. "It's you."

"You look like hell," Draco comments.

"Thanks," he mutters. He wipes his face. "What are you doing here?"

The blond gestures to his plate. "I'm about to eat."

He rolls his eyes, but the smile tugging at his lips ruins the annoyed look. He surveys Draco. The other man doesn't look too much better than how Charlie feels. The hospital bracelet he was sporting is gone. "Didn't you have whatever the others were dosed with?"

Draco frowns. "I did, but according to my doctor, I wasn't affected like the others were."

"How are your friends?"

"Switching between anger and silence," Draco answers, averting his gaze. He looks like he blames himself.

"How are you?"

Draco meets Charlie's eyes, surprise written on his face. "I'll be fine."

He nods. He gathers his tray of half eaten food and stands up. He stares down at Draco. "It's not your fault they were kidnapped. At least you tried to find them."

Draco looks deep in thought so Charlie excuses himself. He throws away his trash on the way to the door. He's halfway down the hall when he hears his name being called.

The blond is standing in the hallway. "Would you like to get dinner with me when everything is over?"

Charlie can't deny how intriguing he finds the other man. There's something about him that draws Charlie's attention and kicks his heart into overdrive. He's digging his phone out of his pocket before he realizes it.

"Here, give me your number. We'll figure out the details later."

Charlie smiles as Draco gives him his number. Maybe something good came of this mess.

* * *

When Charlie makes it back to Ginny's floor, all he can hear is screaming. He races towards it.

Bill is holding the arms of their parents' neighbor, forcibly dragging him from Ginny's room. The man is shouting something, but Charlie doesn't hear it. All he can hear is the sound of his sister screaming.

Their parents are trying to calm her down. Charlie moves around them, taking a seat near her. He wraps his arms around her, quietly reminding her that she's safe.

Her screams turn into sobs and Charlie holds her through it. When she finally exhausts herself, Charlie sags in relief. "What was Tom doing here?"

His mum shakes her head. "I don't know. He came in with flowers for her and she just started screaming."

Dread fills Charlie's stomach. "Do you think he had something to do with what happened?"

"Bill seemed to think so."

That was all Charlie needed to know. He's sure that if Tom had something to do with it, Bill would bring the full force of the law down on him. He brushes his sister's hair back. He knows she is going to recover, but she's not going to do it alone.


End file.
